Love thy Brother
by Hope4443
Summary: Love thy Brother holds a glimps of the family Emmett left behind in Mississippi, ventures into the reconnection of a once unbreakable bond between a brother and sister, and reveals the thoughts of a small town girl thrown into the life of Liberty Avenue.
1. Chapter 1

*Disclaimer- I own none of the characters except Eliza. The idea for this was thought of between a friend and me. I've never written a fanfic before so please let me know that you think!*

Liberty Avenue was nothing like any of the streets I had walked down back in Mississippi. I was exhausted from roaming Pittsburgh along with the long train ride from Nashville. On my back, I carried my Jansport polka-dotted backpack, and in my hand I held a worn picture of myself and my older brother. It was taken almost ten years ago and on the back, scribbled in perfect penmanship, was a note:

"_Eliza Louise- I'm sorry that I have to leave you, but it won't be long until I'm back again. If you ever need me for __anything, __call 412-391-5421. That's the Liberty Avenue Diner. Just ask whoever answers to get a hold of me. I promise I'll call back. Love ya', Honey- Emmett." _

In the picture, a six year old me stood proudly with my arms wrapped around my big brother's neck. Emmett sat awkwardly, his tall and gangly limbs falling around me. We both looked so happy. He was never really around much when I was young. The longest I can remember him being around was about the time the picture was taken. He lived with us for a little less than a year. Even though it wasn't long, he had become like a best friend to me. He swore to me that he was around a lot more when I was born and that's why we had such a strong bond, but I don't remember any of that. Emmett wrote that note on the back of my picture the last time I saw him, which was when I was eleven- five years ago. He came for Christmas and was supposed to stay for a week, but he got into a fight with my dad and had to leave after a couple of hours. I hadn't seen Emmett since.

I've tried to call the diner tons of times since then and he's never called me back. Whoever answers the phone usually sounds too busy to listen, or they just tell me they don't know who the fuck I'm talking about. But this time I really needed to get through to him- so much so, that I decided that I would run away and find him myself. I had looked all around Pittsburgh for the Liberty Avenue Diner. Everybody I asked seemed to know where it was at, but laughed as if it were a joke when I asked them to show me.

It was getting dark and with every passing minute I was becoming more frustrated. Liberty Avenue was starting to come to life. Bars and dance clubs boomed loud music out of their open doors and strangers flooded the street.

"Jesus Christ, Baby." An older woman with red frizzy hair approached me. I resisted her at first, but she wouldn't let me refuse. "What the hell are you doing out here? Liberty Avenue after dark is no place for children."

"I'm not a child," I defended myself.

"Of course not." The woman took back her comment and reached an arm up to touch my shoulder. "I'm Debbie. Can I help you find somethin'?"

"Yes, actually. I'm looking for the Liberty Avenue Diner." I told her, trying not to get upset.

"Well, you've run into the right woman! I work there." Debbie pointed to her vest which was covered in an array of gay pride buttons. "But, honey, I'm sure you didn't come all the way down here to Liberty Avenue for a burger."

"You're right. I'm looking for somebody." Tears started to well in my eyes. "His name is Emmett."

"Emmett? Emmett Honeycutt?" Debbie's eyes widened as I nodded.

"I'm his little sister, Eliza Honeycutt." Finally a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Oh, Honey! Don't cry. Come with me. We'll go to the diner. I'll make you somethin' to eat. We'll call Emmett and in between you tell Debbie what this is all about." She smiled at me. Something about her was very homely and trusting, as if I had known her before.

"I'm sorry if it's too much trouble. But this is an emergency and I didn't know how else to get a hold of him!" I explained and cried to Deb. The look on her face told me she didn't mind. "I've called and called that diner and nobody ever puts me through to him."

"Alright. It's going to be alright." Deb started to lead me down the street. "But, don't take offense to this, he's never mentioned you."

"He's never mentioned his family back in Hazlehurst, Mississippi?" I asked skeptically as I wiped a couple of tears off my face.

"Well, yeah." Debbie looked as if she had an epiphany. "Seven brothers and sisters. But I assumed they were all older."

"You assumed wrong." I bluntly stated. Debbie gave me a dirty look and I apologized by pressing my lips together.

"I guess you do look a bit like him…." Deb looked over to examine my auburn hair and tall, lanky figure.

"So, you know Emmett?" I asked after a couple of seconds.

"Of course I know Emmett! He's one of my son's best friends. In fact, you could say I take care of Emmett just like my own boy." She smiled to herself.

"What does he do? I don't even know that much about him. Is he married?" I looked at her hoping she had all of my answers.

"Married!" Deb was seemed confused and a bit aggravated. "When was the last time you saw Emmett?"

"Five years ago." I looked at Deb.

"You know he's…" Deb stopped, unsure if she should continue.

"I know he's gay." I looked back to the ground. "That's kinda why I'm here. There's was an emergency."

"There_ was_ an emergency or there _is _an emergency?" Deb faced me.

"I'll explain later." I looked down until she continued to walk. I stood for a second, watching as she got ahead. I took a quick second to examine our location. All I could conclude was that we were somewhere tangled in an array of gay pride and neon lights. "I guess by married I mean, is he seeing someone?"

"Not that I know of." Debbie mumbled as I came running up beside her. I sighed to myself in relief, feeling better about me sudden intrusion.

"Listen," I grabbed onto Debbie's arm. She stopped abruptly and seemed startled. "I don't know Emmett very well… I mean, I used to, but he left… And this may all seem strange- that he never mentioned me personally, and he didn't know I was coming… and that I've appeared seemingly out of nowhere with an emergency. But, I need to talk to him as soon as possible. I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time, but just know that you are doing me a great favor." I took a deep breath in and watched as Debbie soaked in my sudden outburst.

"Here we are." She took a couple of steps forward. I looked up at the diner. It was bright and colorful, beaming with pride. In side, people, mainly men, sat eating dinner and talking.

"This is it?" I asked, unsure.

"This is it. The Liberty Avenue Diner." Debbie opened the door and a bell chimed, causing some to turn and look at us. A couple of people shouted hellos to Debbie and she returned their salutations. The air was warm and smelled of lemon bars. I felt a little bit closer to Emmett already.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- What's next with Love thy Brother? Find out how Emmett reacts upon Eliza's arrival, what this emergency is that Eliza can't get off her mind, and more about the family that Emmett left behind in Hazlehurst.----------------------

*This is my first fanfic, so please give me any suggestions and let me know what you think! Thank you!*


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Phone's over here." Debbie walked over to the bar and signaled for me to have a seat at one of the bar stools. She pulled a beige phone from beside the cash register and set in front of me. I studied it as I pulled off my worn winter jacket. As I pulled my arm out of the hole, I came a cross a new rip in the side. It had so many rips and tears that I was starting to lose track. My parents didn't exactly have enough money to buy me a new one, so I was left with this one. It was my Aunt Lulah's, but she passed away last year. I wonder if Emmett knew that. I set the jacket on the stool beside me, and ran my finger along the phone cord which was extending over the countertop. As I did so, a curly wave of my auburn hair fell down into my face.

"Do you have a ponytail tie?" I looked up at Deb.

"Oh yeah. Right here on my arm. I keep it there for my flowing hair." She snorted sarcastically. I noted her frizzy afro style and pushed my hair over my shoulders.

"Ebony!" Deb yelled. Behind her, peeping out from the kitchen over the trays of food, a black man dressed as a woman poked up.

"Yes?" The transvestite asked.

"Do you have a ponytail tie for Eliza?" Deb looked over her shoulder as she fiddled with something on the counter. Ebony smiled and walked around to the door connecting the kitchen and dining room.

"Here you go, sweetie." He pulled a purple elastic from his back pocket and handed it to me. I was hesitant to take it, but I felt rude so I accepted it. I pulled my curls up into a loose ponytail in the back and silently thanked Deb.

"I don't know his number." I looked back to the phone feeling ashamed.

"I can dial it for you." Deb walked to the phone and picked it up.

"No." I put my hand on top of hers. She put the phone back down and looked up at me.

"What do ya' mean 'no'?" She leaned over the counter, resting herself against it.

"I've haven't talked to him in so long. I don't even know if I would be able to recognize his voice." I explained.

"I suppose I could talk to him for you." Deb looked at me as if she knew this is what I had been getting at the whole time. She picked up the phone again.

"One more thing." She put the phone down again and looked annoyed.

"What the hell now?" Deb asked.

"Can you not mention my name? Can you just tell him somebody important is here?" My voice cracked as I pleaded. Deb looked at me suspiciously for a moment but then she took a deep breath. She nodded in understanding and then picked up the phone for the third time. She dialed the number almost in slow motion and I held my breath as I heard ringing from the small speaker.

"Hello?" A voice chimed on the other line. I didn't hear it very well, I wasn't even sure if it was him, but I immediately gasped. Debbie looked up at me as if I was interrupting and turned away from me.

"Em, baby?" She smiled. I could no longer hear the voice. "Hi, honey. I'm fine thank you." She laughed. "I'm sorry to call so late." She waited a minute. "Carl's fine. Everything's fine." She laughed harder. "Listen, there's somebody here who really needs to see you." Silence. "I think you should get down here." Silence. "Ok. I'll see you soon." She hung the phone back up.

"So?" I nearly jumped off my seat.

"So? So what?" Deb took the phone back to it's spot by the register. "He'll be here soon." I did a little victory jump inside myself, ignoring Deb's aggravation.

"Eliza?" She asked after a minute. I looked up at her. "I'm sorry if I've come off a bit cold."

"It's ok." I answered plainly.

"My brother, Vic, he's in the hospital. Things have been very stressful lately." She looked down to the floor.

"I understand. I hope he gets better." I smiled at her and she returned it.

"How about I make you something to eat?" Deb offered. I nodded gratefully. I hadn't eaten anything since Nashville, which is where I had hitchhiked to. Once there I found the train station and bought my ticket to Pittsburgh. That was yesterday morning.

Deb disappeared into the kitchen and came back out a couple of minutes later with a tray filled with food. There was a plate with grilled cheese and French fries, and another with spaghetti. There were littler platters with cottage cheese and fruit slices.

"Whadaya want?" Deb put the tray down on the counter. I chose the grilled cheese and French fries and she grinned. "Emmett always orders grilled cheese when he's in this late."

"Thank you." I laughed, picking up a fry and shoving it into my mouth. Deb nodded a 'you're welcome'. "Our mother used to make grilled cheese all the time. That and soup." I added.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"We usually didn't have very much money, so she would buy a loaf of bread, a package of cheese, and a big can of soup. She'd use half the loaf and cut the sandwiches into halves. It wasn't too expensive and it fed us all. But that was only when we had money to buy food at all." I savored every bite in my mouth.

"Well, honey, if you ever need somethin' to eat, you just come see me." She patted me on the back placed the tray back onto the rack and lifted the plates of food under the heat light. "What was that emergency all about?"

"Oh, that." I stopped eating as I remembered. "It's our brother, Lucas."

"Is he sick?" Deb sounded concerned.

"No. My parents kicked him out. Now I can't find him."

"Why did you come here?"

"Because Lucas is like Emmett." Deb's eyes widened as she realized what I was talking about.

"So you think because Lucas is gay, Emmett might know where he is?" Deb tried to understand.

"No. But the same thing happened to Emmett. He ended up here didn't he?" I picked up another fry. "Besides, Lucas was the only thing that kept me in that tailor trash hell. If he wasn't sticking around, I'd be damned if I had to."

"Good for you, hun." Deb smiled and nudged me. I couldn't help but smile back. "How old's this Lucas anyway?"

"Seventeen."

"Jesus. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Are you the youngest of the seven?" She grabbed a bottle of coke from a cooler behind her and set it in front of me.

"I'm the youngest of Emmett's whole siblings. But I have younger siblings too. They're all only our half-siblings." I went on. "Emmett hasn't met most of them, though. Only a few." Just as I finished talking the chime on the door sounded. I froze in place and watched Debbie.

"Emmett, come here." Debbie called from our place at the counter.

"Debbie, what in Mary's name are you doing havin' me come out this late? I was just cuddlin' up with a bit of Bette Davis." A voice came up behind me. I slowly turned around on my bar stool. The look on Emmett's was unsure and a bit confused, but he pulled a smile out of nowhere.

"Well, if it isn't Miss 'Liza Louise." He smiled, but I could tell he was getting emotional.

"Emmett." Was all I could bring myself to say, but he stopped me before I could compose anything else. Next thing I knew, his long, skinny arms were wrapped around me. I wasn't for sure if it was me or him, but somebody was crying.


End file.
